Who has the final say on who can see your child?
At a campaign stop in Florida last week, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds encountered a crying grandmother who asked him to intervene so she could reach her grandson.
The woman said she had not seen her children since August 7 – less than two months – and implored Donald, who is running to be the Sunshine State’s next governor, to uphold “grandparents’ rights” if he wins.
The film became an instant hit, in part due to the tragic trend of family estrangement, often due to political differences.
Over the past decade or so, an increasing number of adults appear to be cutting ties with their parents and “no contact” at the suggestion of therapists, friends, or social media.
A major survey this spring found that 38 percent of adult Americans surveyed had intentionally avoided friends or family members in the past year.
This is heartbreaking and scary: Families should not let political views destroy otherwise healthy relationships.
But asking the government to step in and fix the problem is a dangerous remedy.
Despite the assumptions of many commenters, politics has nothing to do with the plight of the grandmother who seeks Donald’s help.
The woman blamed “stinginess” for her daughter’s choice to keep her grandson away from her: “I refused to take care of the child because I had plans,” she explained tearfully.
The next question should set off alarm bells for every parent: The woman said she’s working with her representative in Congress, Republican Randy Fine, “to see if we can get a federal law enacted that would be enforceable across the country.”
(It’s unclear whether this is true; a message sent to Fine’s office this week seeking confirmation went unanswered.)
The weeping woman tugs at the heartstrings, and Donald promises to “look into” the issue.
For a politician on the stump — especially one running in a state filled with grandparents — he did the right thing, empathized with the grieving grandmother, and moved on.
Others may be less savvy.
With veteran voters a major force in American politics, lawmakers are likely to try to legislate family reconciliation.
They should resist this urge.
But in state after state, they are trying: Last year, lawmakers in Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri and Minnesota introduced bills that would force parents to allow estranged grandparents to visit their children. The bills have not yet become law.
And for good reason: The reality is that parents must have the authority to make decisions in the best interests of their children.
Consider a case in Rhode Island this year when a judge ruled in favor of a father who did not want his late wife’s parents to see his children.
The turning point came when the father gave evidence in court that his grandparents secretly recorded him as he expressed concerns about how hard they would go to get what they wanted.
Judge Felix Gill said the footage “reinforced the father’s concerns and the reasonableness of his decision to restrict access”.
In 2000, a landmark “grandparents’ rights” case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that healthy parents should be “respected” when deciding what is best for their children.
The case challenges a Washington state law that allows “any person” to request visitation with a child and allows a court to “order visitation rights to any person when visitation may be in the best interests of the child.”
chilling thought anyone It is possible to ask to see if your child is still covered by the statutes in Connecticut and Delaware.
However, over the past few years, parents across the country have successfully defended their parental rights.
They won court battles requiring parental notification and consent in cases involving transgender students in schools, and fought for their ability to opt out of questionable classes and objectionable reading assignments for their children.
National groups such as Free Moms have mobilized to ensure parents have authority over their children’s education, community and medical decisions.
These hard-won gains should not be dissolved by grandma’s tears.
Parents have the final say in matters concerning their children.
Any attempt to breach this barrier would undermine their rights and bring legal and financial torture.
Important and loving as grandparents may be, they cannot claim the same bond or share the same responsibilities as parents – and politicians should stay away from these family disputes.
Carol Markovich is the host of “The Carol Markovich Show” and the “Normal” podcast.